: African press review 31 October 2015

The main story in the Cairo-based Egypt Independent this morning reports that the first round run-off in Egypt’s parliamentary election produced a turnout of 21.7 per cent, reflecting disinterest in a vote held in the absence of any opposition.

The tally for the run-off held on Tuesday and Wednesday, announced by the electoral commission, was even lower than the 26.6 percent for the first round ballot contested earlier this month in half of Egypt’s provinces.

Voting in the remaining 13 provinces will be held next month. Parliament is to hold its inaugural session in December.

A separate story in the same Egypt Independent reports that parliamentarians who served under former President Hosni Mubarak are making a comeback, with 84 of them winning seats.

Regional paper The East African says that Tanzania’s president-elect John Magufuli officially received the General Election winner’s certificate yesterday in Dar es Salaam.

The main opposition challenger Edward Lowassa who has disputed the election outcome did not attend the function.

Magufuli is officially credited with 58 per cent of votes cast.

In Kenya, The Standard reports that politicians, religious and civil society leaders have warned that the country could be thrown into violent conflict if runaway corruption is not tamed.

Speaking yesterday in Nairobi, Chief Justice Willy Mutunga warned that the country needs urgent intervention to deal with a host of grave challenges.

The economic, social, cultural and political problems Kenyans face are worsened by a never-ending political crisis in the country, according to the Chief Justice.

Opposition CORD leader Raila Odinga accused the Jubilee Government of infiltrating independent institutions and interfering with their work. Raila singled out the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) as being compromised by the Executive.

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He claims that the commission has failed to act against Devolution Cabinet Secretary Anne Waiguru over the loss of millions in her ministry.

The top American commander for Africa says Boko Haram has lost territory in Nigeria.

The comments by General David Rodriguez, head of US Africa Command, contradict the statements of Boko Haram, which claims to have retained the Belgium-size caliphate it carved out in north-eastern Nigeria last year.

Rodriguez said Boko Haram has altered its propaganda as a result of its growing ties with Islamic State. Boko Haram, Gen Rodriguez said, has also refined its use of roadside bombs and suicide bombings, mirroring tactics honed by Islamic State.

US efforts to train fighters and share intelligence with military forces in Chad, Cameroon, Nigeria and other African countries have helped push back Boko Haram’s territorial control, forcing it to alter its tactics, Gen Rodriguez said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal, picked up in this morning South African financial paper BusinessDay.

The Vanguard in Nigeria this morning reports that leaders of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party have accused the presidency of undue interference in the Judiciary, Legislature and the Independent National Electoral Commission.

Specifically, the PDP accuses the presidency of using the Department of State Service to influence election petition tribunal and court decisions in favour of the ruling All Progressives Congress.

The Johannesburg Stock Exchange has launched a investigation into the timing of phone company MTN’s announcement of a five billion euro fine imposed by Nigerian regulators.

Nigeria’s telecoms regulator gave MTN two weeks to pay the fine imposed on the mobile phone operator for failure to cut off users with unregistered SIM cards.